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Thursday, August 4, 2011

Oklahoma part 3: Ada on 7/21

This is where the good stuff kicks in:

Okay, so we have been paralleling this 12-train-a-day line for over an hour, and no luck, so as we approach Ada, I see headlights in the distance. We pull over. The signals go off two minutes before the train crosses:




Then, a big treat emerged from the curve. The only things on this entire consist were two locomotives, but great ones:

Leading it was ATSF 3791, one of the few remaining ATSF C30-7s in the world:

Then, Burlington Northern 1524 (sadly, patched)GP20M IS AN Operation Lifesaver locomotive!!! :):):)


This was great, at first I thought it would be the best catch of the trip, but boy was I wrong. Stay tuned for some amazing stuff.

8 comments:

Kerry Scott said...

Wow, cool. I've never seen one of those!

CTA said...

The operation Lifesaver locomotive?

Amy Coffin, MLIS said...

Ok, help a mom out...what does it mean when a locomotive is patched? And what is Operation Lifesaver? How did you hear about it?

Glinda said...

Great post. Great pictures. Love the added suspense, too!

G said...

What's an Operation Lifesaver locomotive?

CTA said...

Amy:When an ATSF, BN, or SP locomotive is patched, it means it is patched with the railroad that now owns it. You can see "BNSF" below the numbers on both locomotives. Operation Lifesaver is a program promoting railroad crossing safety.
Glinda:Thanks!
George: An operation lifesaver locomotive is a locomotive that promotes Operation Lifesaver. Look at the text on the BN(green) locomotive.

kona said...

Yea even I figured out what Operation Life Saver was. It is for the idiots that cross train tracks when the bells are ringing & the crossing arm is down. Great pictures. The sky is beautiful.

CTA said...

Yeah, people need to understand that running a crossing can be more deadly than running a red light at a basic intersection